a bleeding purple utah jazz blog

In a nutshell: The Jazz fell upon the sword of their lord and liege, Matthew Bonner. Meanwhile, the rest of the Spurs dropped by for a visit, gave their dumb little brother a good noogie, and then went along their merry way.

P.S. Seeing Gregg Popovich on the sidelines saddens me that Jerry Sloan isn’t pacing in front of our bench on the other end of the floor.

Quotage** Matt Harpring, during broadcast: Karl Malone was my favorite player that I played with my entire career. Not just because of what he does on the basketball court. I really liked him as a person off the court. Very generous; very giving. A great teammate, and one that I would play for on any team if I could’ve.

** Ty Corbin, post-game: I thought our guys fought hard, especially after playing last night. (emphasis mine)** Ty Corbin, post-game: We just didn’t get the calls or get the plays right at the end of the game, and it’s tough for us. Tough one to take…They got some free throws there at the end…it’s discouraging when you go inside some and you don’t get the call that you think you should get.** Ty Corbin, post-game: Typically [power forwards] don’t shoot like Bonner does, but he made some shots tonight, so we made adjustments second half. (2)

A few nights ago it was “guys were tired.” Tonight it’s “we didn’t get calls.” Not a fan of excuses. Oh and by the way, Matt Bonner set his career high against the Jazz two years ago so the coaching staff should be more than familiar with his shooting abilities.

Random Stuff, etc.

(Mailman and Matt Harpring, via @AdamMikulich)

** My beloved Karl Malone was in the house and sat next to the doctor with the blow-up doll behind the baseline on the Jazz end of the floor. He also met with Greg Miller after the game for a good 90 minutes as the media–reminiscent of lockout talks–staked out the hallway.

Hilarious how nervous all the ushers look:

(via @DJJazzyJody)

Both declined comment afterwards. Nevertheless, it was a great night of bonding and fellowship for many:

** Can’t believe it’s been three years since Larry H. passed. This team and organization really miss his presence.

Unintentional Dirty Quote Machines of the Night (UDQM)** Boler: Big Al says sometimes he can’t even control that right hand. Sometimes the right hand just has to do what it has to do.** Harpring: Boler, you need to stop sometimes.** Boler: CJ’s on his backside, ball’s on the bounce.** Boler: All right Alema, there’s the penetration you guys were talking about.** Boler: How about Neal? A high, hard one!** Harpring: It’s muscle AND skill. That was a great move by Big Al.** Harpring: When the double team comes, that ball has got to come out of your hands.** Boler: Big Al double pumps it against Bonner.